Introduction

The Kaunas Biennial stands as Lithuania's premier contemporary art event, establishing itself as a significant cultural force in the Baltic region and beyond. Founded in 1997, it has evolved from a textile art-focused exhibition into a multidisciplinary platform for contemporary art exploration and cultural exchange.

What distinguishes the Kaunas Biennial is its deep engagement with the city's complex historical and cultural context. Located in Lithuania's second-largest city, the Biennial activates various urban spaces, from modernist interwar architecture to Soviet-era industrial sites, creating meaningful dialogues between art, history, and public space.

The Biennial's approach is characterized by a strong curatorial vision that balances local contexts with global perspectives. Each edition explores different thematic frameworks while maintaining connections to the city's layered identity and the broader socio-political landscape of Eastern Europe and the Baltic region.

History & Evolution

The Kaunas Biennial was established in 1997 as the "Kaunas Textile Biennial," initially focusing on textile art and reflecting Lithuania's strong tradition in this medium. Over the years, it has evolved significantly, broadening its scope to encompass a wide range of contemporary art practices while maintaining connections to its textile roots.

This evolution reflects broader transitions in Lithuania's cultural landscape following the country's independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. As Lithuania reoriented itself toward Europe and developed its contemporary cultural identity, the Biennial emerged as a platform for navigating these shifts and connecting local artistic practices with international discourses.

A key turning point came in 2007 when the event was reformatted as the Kaunas Biennial, dropping the "textile" specification while maintaining textile art as one of its components. This strategic shift allowed the Biennial to engage more fully with contemporary art's diverse expressions while still honoring its distinctive origins.

Subsequent editions have been characterized by experimental curatorial approaches, often employing collaborative models and multi-curator structures. This has enabled the Biennial to explore various perspectives while maintaining consistent engagement with the historical, social, and urban contexts of Kaunas.

Thematic Focus

The Kaunas Biennial has developed a distinctive thematic approach that engages with memory, identity, and public space while connecting local contexts with global perspectives. Each edition explores specific aspects of these overarching concerns through carefully developed curatorial frameworks.

Recent Themes

"Long-distance Friendships" (2023) - The 14th edition explored transnational solidarity and connections that transcend geographical and political boundaries. Co-curated with Latvia's Survival Kit 14, it examined relationships between artists and communities across borders, particularly from post-colonial and post-socialist perspectives.

"After Leaving / Before Arriving" (2019) - The 12th edition focused on the concepts of transition, passage, and in-between states, reflecting both the historical experiences of Kaunas and contemporary global phenomena of migration and change. The exhibition explored how identities are shaped during periods of transition.

"LANDMARKS: The Public Space of Memory" (2017) - This edition investigated monuments, memory, and historical narratives in public space. Curator Paulina Pukytė's vision examined how collective memory is constructed and negotiated through monuments and public artworks.

"UNITEXT" (2015) - Curated by Nicolas Bourriaud, this edition explored the relationship between visual arts and language, developing what Bourriaud described as "semionautic" practices that navigate between different sign systems and cultural contexts.

Key Focus Areas

Throughout its various iterations, the Biennial has consistently engaged with several core areas of inquiry:

• Post-Soviet Identity - Examining the cultural and social transformations following Lithuania's independence
• Public Space & Urban Memory - Investigating how art can activate and reframe urban environments and historical sites
• Cross-Cultural Dialogue - Creating platforms for exchange between Eastern and Western European perspectives
• Community Engagement - Developing participatory projects that involve local residents and communities
• Interdisciplinary Approaches - Expanding beyond visual arts to incorporate performance, sound, literature, and other disciplines

By consistently engaging with these themes while remaining responsive to contemporary developments, the Kaunas Biennial has established itself as an important platform for critical reflection on the complexities of Baltic identity and its relationship to broader European and global contexts.

Notable Projects

Over its history, the Kaunas Biennial has presented numerous innovative projects that exemplify its thematic concerns and engagement with the city's context. Here are some notable projects from recent editions:

"Community Ties" - Mykola Ridnyi

A multimedia installation examining connections between Ukrainian and Lithuanian communities through archival materials and personal stories, creating dialogue across post-Soviet experiences.

"Echo Chamber" - Jana Winderen

A site-specific sound installation in an abandoned factory space, transforming industrial architecture into an immersive acoustic environment that explored the site's historical resonances.

"Temporary Monument" - Andrius Arutiunian

A public space intervention that reimagined monument forms through temporary structures, questioning the permanence of historical narratives and inviting community participation.

"Threads of Memory" - Anicka Yi

A large-scale textile and olfactory installation connecting to Kaunas' textile heritage while incorporating biotechnology and synthetic materials to explore sensory experience.

These projects reflect the Biennial's commitment to creating meaningful dialogue between art, history, and community while remaining at the forefront of contemporary artistic practices.

Exhibition Venues

One of the distinctive aspects of the Kaunas Biennial is its use of diverse venues throughout the city, ranging from purpose-built galleries to repurposed industrial spaces and public sites. This approach creates meaningful dialogues between contemporary art and the city's rich architectural heritage.

Kaunas Picture Gallery

A modernist building constructed in 1979 that serves as one of the main institutional venues for the Biennial, providing conventional gallery spaces for exhibitions.

Kaunas Central Post Office

A landmark of interwar modernist architecture completed in 1931, this historically significant building offers unique exhibition spaces with distinctive architectural character.

Former "Drobė" Textile Factory

An industrial space that connects to Kaunas' textile heritage, providing raw, atmospheric settings for large-scale installations and site-specific works.

Public Urban Spaces

Various locations throughout Kaunas' urban fabric where art interventions create direct engagement with the city's daily life and historical narrative.

This distributed approach to exhibition-making has become a defining characteristic of the Kaunas Biennial, distinguishing it from more centralized models of biennials and creating unique experiences for visitors who engage with both art and city simultaneously.